Silent Love
by s. rivers
Summary: I should tell Naruto. I should tell him I’m not the kind of person to do this. I’m not the kind of person to bring Sasuke back. But I can’t, because I know Naruto needs me.


**It's three am, and I had the biggest urge to write something right now. I had this story in my head for a week and didn't really want to write it, but it all kind of came out really fast…**

**It's pretty sad. But anyway, I hope you enjoy it. I worked really hard on it, and this style of writing was hard because I kept messing up. Sorry for mistakes. **

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**Silent Love **

"You have to come," he says. I watch him as he paces up and down his room in the hospital. He is thinking hard, stroking his chin as he speaks. His blue eyes glisten with a emotion I can't describe: between sorrow, fear, and triumph.

"I can't," I try to explain; standing up from the stool I was sitting on. I push Naruto back onto the bed and fix the bandages above his left eye. "I tried doing that years ago. If he wouldn't listen to me then, he won't listen to me now."

"He's changed," Naruto says. "He's been pulling back more."

"What do you mean?" I ask.

Naruto shakes his head. "I can't explain. But he doesn't try and hurt me anymore. He pulls back."

"Naruto…" I say in a small voice. "I…can't."

I don't want to tell Naruto the truth. If I could, I would march right out there and drag Sasuke home. But I don't want to face him. As much as I want him back, I don't at the same time. Without him here, I have become a great healer and a stronger person. When he comes back, who knows what I'll be.

"Shikamaru broke his leg, and he can't come. I need you Sakura."

_I need you Sakura. _Has someone said that to me before? It brings a chill to my back. A haunting memory seems to drift into my head, but when I try to open it, it doesn't open.

"I…" I begin. I should tell Naruto. I should tell him I'm not the kind of person to do this. I'm not the kind of person to bring Sasuke back. But I can't, because I know Naruto needs me.

"…I'll go."

"Yes!" my blond friend shouts. He begins jumping up and down, smiling and babbling. "This is it, Sakura. After three years, we can finally bring him back."

I smile softly and nod. He makes it seem like it will be easy. But it won't be. Not for me, at least.

……………………………………………………………….

At seven the next morning, there we are. Naruto, Kakashi, and I are waiting by the gates of Konoha. Well, I wouldn't say we are waiting. We are more just sitting there, thinking. I am waiting for Kakashi to say something, and he is waiting for Naruto to say something, and Naruto looks like he may fall asleep. So I finally speak up, my voice cracking a bit.

"Are we ready?"

Kakashi studies me and nods slowly. I know what he is thinking. So I ignore him and start off first into the forest.

"We should slow down," Naruto yells to me a wile later. We must have been going on for hours.

"I'm fine," I hiss back. I want to keep moving and find Sasuke before it gets dark. I am dreading moving through the forest in the night, don't ask why. Maybe it's a superstition I have.

"He's close," Kakashi says from behind me. I know. I can feel Sasuke's chakra already. It's not on the move or anything. It seems like it was waiting. I feel as I something bad is about to happen.

"Sakura," Naruto says. "Get behind me. Sasuke isn't very willing to come back, and I don't want him to hurt you."

I nod quietly. I don't want to hide behind Naruto the entire time, but I also know Naruto won't let me in the front to fight Sasuke if my life depended on it. So I slowly slipped behind Naruto and Kakashi.

Then something strange happened.

"I don't feel him anymore," I say. "He must have lowered his chakra."

"Why didn't he run in the first place?" Naruto asks, puzzled.

"He doesn't fear us, that's why," Kakashi says, his eyes showing concern. Did this mean we had to make him fear us? I wasn't sure If I wanted to do that.

I still had a deep feeling inside of me that something was going to happen. I tried my best to push it away, but it kept coming back. It seemed to be mocking me.

"Naruto?" I ask. "Do you sense that something is wrong?"

"Yes," Naruto said. I decided not to say anymore.

We must have gone on for a few more minutes before Kakashi raised his hand, ordering us to stop.

Naruto and I halted immediately.

"I sense…" Kakashi begins.

"Sasuke?" I ask hopefully.

"…Orochimaru."

I shivered. I hated that man. Just hearing his name brought me back to the Chunnin exams so long ago, when I had looked into his eyes and saw my own death.

"Are you sure?" Naruto asks. He sounds worried, and I don't like it.

"Yes," Kakashi answers. "Sakura, I want you to stay behind." I can sense the fear in his voice. He seems worried, like Naruto. He looks at Naruto and they look as if they are talking to each other telepathically.

"Wait a minute!" I protest. "What was the point of having me come along if all I'm going to do is stand here?"

"Sakura, please," Kakashi begs. "Just stay behind. I'll send Naruto for you when everything is OK, I promise."

I decide not to argue, because Kakashi isn't so easy to change his mind to. So I slump against the tree trunk, scowling.

Kakashi winks at me before heading off, and Naruto puts a hand on my shoulder. He smiles. "Remember, Sakura-chan, I promised I would bring him back to you."

I nod and force a smile. Naruto didn't sound so convincing.

Wile he hops off catching up with Kakashi, I sigh and sit myself down. There is nothing to do but wait until they return.

Hours go by. I sniff the air for chakra, but find none. I am getting worried. It's almost sundown, and clouds are starting to build up in the sky. They are dark, and they make me wonder about Sasuke. Memories flashed in my head of me and him together. How he always happened to be next to me on missions, always seemed to catch me when I fell. How he always seem to talk to me.

I enjoyed these memories of Sasuke. I enjoyed the times when he would give us all a small smile, reassuring us he was still human and did have happiness as an emotion. I liked it when he smiled the most, because it made him look cute.

More hours pass. I am angry now. "Where are they?" I ask the squirrel in the branch beside me. "They have to be somewhere!"

Finally, sick of waiting, I get off my but and start moving full speed ahead, using my chakra to move faster.

I felt sudden sense of fear. Suppose Orochimaru had defeated Naruto and Kakashi? Then what about me? I sure as hell wasn't as good as a fighter as Naruto, let alone Kakashi.

But I finally sense Naruto's chakra. It was low, but enough. I fallowed his sent and finaly found him.

"Naruto!" I shout, smiling. I wanted to hug him, but when I saw his face, my heart stopped.

His hands are covered in blood, his face stricken in horror. I watch as he shakes, and I am un able to speak. He looks so…frightened. Not only frightened, but sad…

"N—Naruto?" I manage to choke.

"Don't go to the clearing," he tells me. "Don't go Sakura."

I stare at him. I don't know what to do. I turn and see a clearing.

"Please Sakura…stay here," Naruto begs. "Don't…go…"

I walk past him. I can't help it. I have a gut feeling of what is out here, and my heart pounds at the thought. I step out into the clearing.

I feel like someone had punched me in the stomach. The breath is knocked out of me and I can't breath. I want to faint. I start shaking. I can't take my eyes off the body that lays just yards away. It is hidden in the grass, but I can still see what it is. _Who _it is.

Sasuke Uchiha.

My mind is spinning as my gaze travels to a figure laying not to far from him. I notice some black hair, and I know it is either Orochimaru or Itachi. But I can't tell.

I slowly make my way over to Sasuke. I can now see his face. He is too pale. His lips blue. His eyes are closed, but I can sense life inside of him. His chakra levels are dangerously low.

I drop onto my knees, still shaking. Swallowing hard, I place my hand on his forehead. Cold. Yet, I know he is not dead. But he soon will be. If I gave him enough chakra of mine, he could survive the way back to Konoha. But then I wouldn't make it, because I had to use the rest of my chakra to get their fast enough…

But I had to do it.

Closing my eyes and concentrating, green chakra glows from my hand. I press hard on his forehead. I can't give him all my chakra, but perhaps if I give him enough he could survive the trip back to Konoha.

I press harder. I feel a tear slip from my eyes and I let it fall. It hits Sasuke's nose.

Then something remarkable happens. His eyes open.

"S—Sasuke-kun?" I ask. I still don't stop healing him.

He grabs my hand and pulls it away from his forehead. In a strange, whispery voice he says: "Stop."

I feel my heart jump at his voice. I am remembering what he had said before he left me three years ago. "_Thank you…"_

Tears fall from my eyes. Sasuke is watching me. His eyes seem to burn in the places he is looking at.

"Sasuke!" I cry and hug him. He doesn't move. I am mad at myself for doing this, but I can not help it. My body seems to take control of me and I can't stop it.

"I thought you were dead…" I say.

"Sakura…" he says to me. His voice is hoarse. I pull away, propping his head in my lap. He doesn't seem to mind. "Thank you…"

"Sasuke?" I ask again. He is looking up at me, his face suddenly turned into a small smile.

"Thank you…for everything."

"Sasuke," I say. I stroke his hair. "Just let me heal you…"

"No," he says sternly.

"Why?"

"You used up to much chakra to bring me back," he tells me.

"So? I promise I will be—"

"No."

His callused hand finds mine and I gasp as he grasps it firmly. "I just want to die…" he says to me. "With someone holding my hand."

"I won't let you," I protest. I am about to heal him again, but his voice interrupts me.

"Kiss me."

I stare at him. He doesn't repeat it. He just stairs at me, his eyes loosing the small amount of light they had in them.

I lean down, and I kiss him. His hand tightens with mine, and he gives a small jerk. I pull back, staring.

Sasuke had given his last breath away to kiss me.

My head is pounding as I stare at the man I loved. His fingers are still laced around me. His last words echo in my ear.

_Kiss me…_

I am breathing hard. My heart pounds. I can see now a few feet away is Itachi. He has a knife through his stomach and a kunai slice on his neck. I look away from the two dead brothers, feeling sick.

"Sakura…"

I know it is Naruto's voice. I don't turn to him. I can't. I can't move. I am paralyzed in shock, and in sadness.

"He wanted me to give you this," Naruto says. I use all my strength to turn, and I see him holding:

His head band. Sasuke's head band. It was old, worn, and had a scratch through it, but it was Sasuke's. It had been on so many missions, it had been there when Sasuke rescued me countless times. It had been there when I held Sasuke so long ago, at the Chunnin exams when he fell into my arms. It had been there when Sasuke had Sasuke had whispered those three words: Sakura…thank you…

And he wanted me to have it.

I take the head band from Naruto's hand slowly. I stare at it for a wile before running my fingers across our village symbol, my hands tracing the scratch.

"Were is Kakashi?" I ask, still looking at the forehead protector.

"He went after Orochimaru. He told us to take Sasuke back to Konoha to be buried," Naruto replies. He looks at the ground. I see a tear pop out of his eye, and I suddenly realize I am crying also.

"We must go," I say, looking up at the sky. "It's going to rain."

Naruto only nods as he picks up Sasuke. I can't look at Sasuke's dead body. It makes me feel so…

Sick.

………………………………………………………………..

It was Sasuke's funeral. Half the city had come to honor the last member of the Uchiha clan. It turned out there was going to be more Uchiha's, because Itachi had a 'relationship' with a girl in the Village hidden in the Mist and got her pregnant with a son. But still, the last Uchiha of Konoha was dead.

I stand next to Naruto. The sky is dark, and everyone is holding candles and dressed in black. I try not to cry, but I can't help but let a few tears slip. I wipe them away quickly.

Kakashi-sensei wasn't able to make the funeral. He says he'll be back soon, as soon as he kills Orochimaru.

Hinata is bawling her eyes out, leaning on Naruto's shoulder. Ten-ten is crying with Rock Lee and Neji comforting her. Even the sand nins, Kankuro, Gaara, and Temari are here. Gaara, who looked like he was about to cry, told me Sasuke was the first person to make him bleed and the strongest person besides Rock Lee he had ever fought.

As I watch the people, I can't help feeling that they are all crying for nothing. Sasuke had lived his purpose, and made a truth to his existence. He had avenged his brother, and his family. I was sure wherever they were, they were proud.

I swallowed hard as I make my way to the casket. I am afraid to see Sasuke dead again. I think about the boy who I had kissed before he died. I had stole his last breath.

But when I looked at the Sasuke laying in the casket, I was amazed. He is dressed in the clothes he had worn back when we had first started team seven. On the front is the Uchiha symbol. His face has that smirk on it, showing he is proud to be dead and proud to be the avenger of the Uchihas.

I set my rose down. Unlike the others, it is different. It is black. I don't know if it is to describe my feelings right now, or if it was just different to begin with. I decide to go with both.

I slowly walk away from the crowds when the funeral ended and Sasuke was in the tomb with his parents. But as I walk, someone stops me. Tsunade.

"Sakura," she says.

I know what is coming next. A whole description of how sorry she is for me loosing Sasuke. But luckily, it isn't that.

"Sasuke…" she begins, and I hold my breath. "He had a will."

I let out the breath. I am glad it has nothing to do with pity.

"In his will," Tsunade says, clearing her throat. "He states that he wants everything to go to you. His fortune, his house, everything."

"M—me?" I ask, astonished. I am shocked. Sasuke had never cared that greatly about me—or had he?"

"There is more," Tsunade says. She hands me the will, smiling. Then she walks off, fallowing the crowds.

I read the will over before turning it to the other side.

_Sakura, _

_I don't know when you'll be reading this. But I know you will. I knew this was a suicide mission I was going on, because I knew Itachi would surely kill me. But I had to. For my clan, and for myself. _

_When I said think you, I meant thank you for everything. You were the only one that seemed to care about me. I felt so alone after the whole massacre, I couldn't get close to anyone else. I made a promise at my parents funeral. _

_I'm not good at explaining my feelings, so here it goes. You are one of the most important things to me in my life, and I wanted you to be safe. I know you probably hate me now for leaving, and I am sorry. I wish I could have stayed with you… _

_Tell Naruto he is still a dobe. But he's my best friend. And so are you, Sakura. You are more then my best friend. _

_Always, _

_Uchiha Sasuke _

I feel a rain drop hit my face. I look up and see that more are falling. It covers the Uchiha garden, which Sasuke must have tended well. I notice there are few people left by the tomb.

There is Naruto, with Hinata beside him. Gaara and Rock Lee are standing side by side, staring. I can't help but feel a small smile creep to my face.

"There is always someone who cares about you, Sasuke," I whisper. I wander if he can hear me, wherever he is.

I make my way through the garden, not caring I am wet. Thunder rumbles, and I see a flash of lighting, but I don't move. I run my hands across the petals of the flowers, feeling their smoothness.

I notice a Cherry blossom tree and smile again. I make my way under it, enjoying the petals all around me. Even in the dull rain, it is beautiful.

Then I notice something else. On the tree of the trunk, there is a kunai stuck in it. I ran my fingers across the bark, noticing markings. I then saw that they were letters. And I read them:

S + S: LOVE

He always cared.

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**So what do you think? I know you wish there was more fluff between Sakura and Sasuke, but Sasuke isn't the type for the whole passionate thing. That's why it's called Silent Love.**

**So, this is pretty much my first one-shot fic. So, please review if you could. I would like to know if you enjoyed it or not. **


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